Electronic products such as cell phone base products, global positioning systems (GPS), satellites, communication equipment, consumer products, and a vast line of other similar products are in ever increasing global demand. It is very important for products to continue to improve in features, performance, quality, customer satisfaction, and reliability while reducing product costs, product size, and to be available quickly for purchase by the consumers or buyers.
Packaged integrated circuit devices, also known semiconductor devices, used in the electronic products must be capable of competing in world markets and attracting many consumers or buyers. The consumers or buyers seek assurances that the semiconductor devices and products with the semiconductor devices will perform according to manufacturer's specifications and expectations under real operating conditions.
Market growths for the semiconductor devices that are highly reliable and free of any defects are crucial to manufacturers of the products. The semiconductor devices are constantly improved upon resulting in changes to sizes, shapes, connector types, and connector placement of the semiconductor devices.
The changes to the semiconductor devices force the manufacturers of the semiconductor devices to modify, at a moment notice, sockets and systems used to mount, connect, control, and assess the semiconductor devices. It is extremely important that the speed and cost of changing and re-tooling the systems be efficient for the manufacturer of the semiconductor devices, product users of the semiconductor devices, and the consumer of the end product.
Thus, an increasing need remains to increase the ability to quickly and efficiently leverage, re-tool, or provide sockets or systems used to mount, connect, control, and assess the semiconductor devices. It is also critical the sockets or the systems provide a balanced solution covering all aspects of currently available and future semiconductor devices including factors due to differences in performance, size, complexity, costs, and output flow of the semiconductor devices. In view of the economic and technological challenges, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems.
In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve reliability and product yields to meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought after but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.